Florence+County+District+IV+v.+Shannon+Carter

= Florence County School District IV v. Shannon Carter = = U. S. Supreme Court = = Argued: October 6, 1993 -- Decided: November 9, 1993 = Court Case #6 Sanareena Keller Sarah Salter

If public schools default parents have a right to place their children in private institutions and be reimbursed by the school system. _________
 * Background: **Florence County school board stood behind the IEP that parents deemed inadequate. Mr. & Mrs. Carter wanted the public school to provide a more intensive program that would guarantee that their daughter Shannon would be able to progress according to her abilities. The IEP that was implemented only guaranteed that Shannon, who has dyslexia and ADHD, would make a four month progress in reading and math levels over the entire school year. With this IEP her reading level would rise from 5.4 to 5.8, and her math level would rise from 6.4 to 6.8 over one school term. Shannon’s parents wanted to ensure that she would be at the high school level in both subjects by graduation. After the school board refused to change the IEP, her parents placed her in Trident Academy private school, which has a specialized educational program for students with dyslexia and other language learning disabilities. Parents sued the county public school for tuition reimbursement but lost on Due Process and Review, so they took the case to the U.S. Supreme Court.
 * Decision/Rationale: **The U.S. Supreme Court ruled 9-0 in Shannon’s favor. The court held that if the public system defaults and parents decide to seek private educational programs, they are entitled to reimbursement for tuition.
 * Impact on Education: **Public school administrators and teachers are required to ensure that we are providing the most aggressive programs to ensure all of our students’ academic progress. All students are entitled to the same opportunities for progress, and their IEPs must reflect that.
 * Quiz Question: ** True/ False